Elizabeth's Crossing
by artic strawbehry
Summary: i don't know how to expalin it...just trust me and read it


Title: Elizabeth's Crossing  
  
Author: Artic Strawbehry  
  
Summary: A boy in desperate need of a friend finds what he craves most in a girl who is just trying to find her way.  
  
Disclaimer: The song is mine (there will eventually be a song). The plot line is mine. The characters are not mine.  
  
A/N: I should be working on my other fic "Here With Me" so my cousin will stop bugging me about it, but I've had the idea for this for a few days and I had to get it 'on paper' so to speak. I'll go ahead and warn you, there's lots of little breaks, like scene changes in a TV show, lucky for you, there's no commercials..  
  
  
  
Chapter 1- Getting There  
  
  
  
"Mom, I'll be fine. It's just to Memphis, it's no big deal."  
  
"Of course it's a big deal! You're only 14, you can't fly alone. I won't allow it."  
  
"I won't be alone, there will be thirty other people on the plane!"  
  
"You know what I mean!"  
  
"Dad wants me to go."  
  
"I can't let you fly alone. I don't like it."  
  
"He said I could bring Maria if she wanted to come. If she can, will you let us?"  
  
"You really want to do this?"  
  
"Really, really, really."  
  
"Okay. Fine. As long as Maria goes and it's alright with her mother also."  
  
"Thank you so much, Mom!"  
  
~~~  
  
Elizabeth Parker stood with her best friend since early childhood, Maria, at the airport, waiting for their row to be called. Maria was babbling on about the trip, Elizabeth only half listening was, in reality, lost in her own thoughts. "Hey, Chica, they just called our row. Come on," Maria said, snapping her fingers in front of her friend's face.  
  
"Sorry, I kinda spaced there," Elizabeth told her. "I was wondering why my dad invited us." Maria gave her a sympathetic look, remembering how crushed Elizabeth had been when her father had left seven years ago. "We better go before the plane leaves without us," she said, trying to lighten the mood again. The girls grabbed their bags and tickets and got in line.  
  
~~~  
  
Once the plane was at cruising altitude, Maria pulled out her CD player while Elizabeth remained looking out the window. Minutes passed slowly until she suddenly reached down and started going through her bag. Finding her little black notebook and a pencil, she pulled the tray down from the back of the seat in front of her and started writing furiously. After a few minutes and a several pauses to uncramp her hand, she folded the notebook back up and packed it away, resuming her previous position. Before long, she was fast asleep, her head leaning on the seat still facing the window.  
  
~~~  
  
The flight attendant announcing descent awoke her a few hours later. Maria had also fallen asleep and left her CD player running. Elizabeth removed the headphones and turned off the music. After she put it away, she poked her right below the ribs, eliciting a quiet shriek and a death glare. "We're about to land," she informed her.  
  
~~~  
  
Once all their baggage had been retrieved, they began their search for Elizabeth's father. "I don't see him," Maria told her.  
  
"Me either," Elizabeth conceded. Then a voice behind them caught their attention.  
  
"Are you Elizabeth and Maria?" inquired a boy of about their age with dark brown hair and a wiry frame.  
  
"Why?" Maria shot back.  
  
"Mr. Parker sent me to pick you up. He got stuck at work," the boy explained.  
  
"How do you know Mr. Parker?" Elizabeth asked.  
  
"I work for him in the summers and on breaks," he replied.  
  
"Well, do you have a name?" Maria demanded.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What is it?" Maria tried again.  
  
"Alex Whitman," he replied. "Nice to meet you." Looking at Elizabeth, he said, "You must be Elizabeth, Mr. Parker's daughter." He turned to Maria, "Which would make you Maria, Elizabeth's best friend since forever. Am I right?" The girls nodded. "Well, let's get going then." Maria looked at her best friend who merely shrugged before following Alex.  
  
~~~  
  
Alex had indeed proved to work for Mr. Parker and dropped the girls off at his office before heading home himself. The encounter was rather awkward for Elizabeth, not quite knowing what to do or say to the man she used to call 'Dad'. Fortunately, Maria noticed and suggested they go unpack at his house, successfully diverting any questions that could make the situation any more uncomfortable. They piled into the Camry before setting off.  
  
~~~  
  
Elizabeth let out a frustrated sigh. She couldn't get right. Something about it just didn't fit. She looked at the words written in her notebook, nothing seeming to work. On impulse, she got up from her seat on the floor and went to the door. She stuck her head out checking both directions before closing the door quietly, then returning to her spot. She picked up the notebook and started singing quietly to herself, trying to detect the components that were causing her problems. She still couldn't figure out what was wrong, making it impossible to fix. Giving up for the moment, she slipped the notebook back to its hiding place, along with her journal and then went in search of Maria. After looking in about four different rooms, she finally found her sprawled out on the couch, asleep. She rolled her eyes and woke her friend up, this time with a more kindly tactic. Together they made their way back to the room they were to share for the next week and a half. They were both asleep not long after the light was turned off for the night.  
  
~~~  
  
  
  
The next morning, Alex came back to show the girls around the city. "I hope you don't mind, but I told some friends of mine that we would meet them for lunch later," he told them. The girls looked at each other before shrugging their indifference. "Well, let's get going then," he said before grabbing their hands and pulling them street.  
  
~~~  
  
They had a busy morning with Alex showing them a movie theater that had been converted into a bookstore. Elizabeth had a field day with that, spending at least two hours and twenty dollars there. On the way to lunch, Alex decided she needed a nickname. "You need a nickname. Elizabeth is a too much of a mouthful," he declared.  
  
Maria gave her an exasperated look before turning to Alex. "Give it up. I tried to give her a nickname last year. She ignored me for a week before I gave up. Then there was the year before that when she just hit me every time I called her by a nickname and oh god, she's giving me a death look," she rambled. Indeed, Elizabeth was giving her a look that could kill.  
  
"You just haven't found the right one yet," Alex said, deciding to ignore Maria's warning. "Let's see, there's Beth, Elsbeth. No? How about Liz?"  
  
"You really aren't going to give this up are you?" Elizabeth asked incredulously.  
  
"Nope. Not until you have a nickname."  
  
"Fine then. Liz it is," she consented.  
  
"Hey, you rhymed," he joked at the same time that Maria asked, "How did you get her to do that?" while giving him an incredulous stare. Liz just rolled her eyes.  
  
"Look at that, here we are," Alex announced before making a sharp turn into a little restaurant, dragging Liz and Maria behind him. Spotting his friends, he jerked them to the back letting them go when they reached a table already half full. "Hey, guys."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay, there we go. First chapter. Let me know if it's any good. Reviews are greatly appreciated! 


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